Lying to Incriminate You
by AndelinaSnape
Summary: Amelie has agreed to be a spy during the War, but it gets complicated when she develops feelings for her target: Draco Malfoy. Let me know what u think so far!
1. Chapter 1

Amelie sat in the headmistress's office patiently. Madame Maxime had asked her to wait while she fetched a visitor. Madame Maxime finally reentered her office with an old, wizened man who had a long, silver beard and half-moon spectacles.

"Amelie, this is Professor Dumbley-dore," Madame Maxime said. Amelie's eyes widened in recognition. "He wishes to speak to you about an important matter."

"If that is alright with you, Miss Hollern?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

Amelie nodded her head and Madame Maxime left.

"Your family, Miss Hollern, are old friends of mine. Did you know?" he asked. Amelie shook her head. "Your great-grandmother lived across the street from me. She was good friends with our neighbor, Bathilda Bagshot. She called her Batty," Dumbledore chuckled.

When she made no response, he continued. "Madame Maxime spoke highly of your abilities. She said you are an excellent dueler and potions maker. She has also mentioned that you are eager to help in the approaching war."

"I am, sir," she replied.

"Well I may be able to help there, but only if you are sure you can handle it."

"I am sure I can," she said enthusiastically.

"Wait until you hear what my plan is. You see, my dear, I will not live through this year." He lifted up his arm, which Amelie now noticed looked dead. "I have planned my death. I have asked my old friend to kill me, and he has begrudgingly accepted." Amelie let her jaw drop in shock, and Dumbledore chuckled. "It is either this or watch a young boy who is yet innocent do the deed. I would rather Professor Snape do it. You must understand that this must remain a secret between the three of us. The only reason I am telling you is because this information will have everything to do with your task."

"I understand, sir. I will not speak of it."

"Good. Now then, you graduate at the end of this school year?"

"Yes, sir."

"If you are up to it, your task will be to pose as a student in the upcoming year at Hogwarts. Of course no one will know you have already graduated from Beauxbatons. Your job will be a difficult one. Amelie, I want you to go undercover as a Slytherin. I want you to act like you support the Death Eaters and hate muggleborns. Many Death Eaters have children in the school. A great deal of information can come from them. I want you to get close to them and then report back to Professor Snape. I especially want you to get close to one Mr. Draco Malfoy."

"Why is that, sir?" Amelie asked.

"Because he is the young boy who is supposed to kill me," Dumbledore answered. Amelie gave an involuntary gasp. "His whole family is in Voldemort's inner circle, but I do not believe he is a killer. I hope not…" he trailed off sadly.

"Professor, I would be honored to do this," Amelie said with determination.

Dumbledore smiled softly. "I am glad, but there are a few precautions that you may not like but must take. First, I would recommend that you only see your family rarely once you reach the United Kingdom. Also, try not to show off or draw any attention to yourself. We do not want you to draw the wrong sort of attention. Your meetings with Professor Snape must be secret, and you must learn to act like an Englishwoman."

"How do you act like an Englishwoman?" Amelie asked, thinking the suggestion rather silly.

"Well, we must start with the accent. You cannot sound French. We will place you in Slytherin, and you will try to blend in so no one asks about your past. If worse comes to worse, you will say Severus, Professor Snape that is, is your uncle and now guardian. If anyone asks, you are an orphan and an only child."

Amelie nodded her head. The professor continued. "I would like you to move to the United Kingdom to begin a little training once you have graduated. I will, by that time, be dead, and so I am giving you Professor Snape's address. You will live there while he trains you and then you will go to Hogwarts." Amelie nodded again as he handed her a slip of paper.

Just as the man was getting ready to leave, he turned back and said, "I must warn you that things will soon be much darker. The war will become more violent after my death, and I fear Death Eaters may be in charge of Hogwarts when you get there. Do take great care."

And with those final words, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Amelie looked up at the last house on Spinner's End. It was definitely small, but she didn't mind. She grew up in a small cottage on the shores of Brittany. Her family was fairly poor.

She walked up to the front door and knocked three times. She waited for a few moments before a man appeared and opened the door. He had long, greasy black hair and a stern face. He wore faded black robes that reminded Amelie of the Grim Reaper. He stepped aside to let her enter.

Amelie looked around the small living room. It was completely covered with books. There were shelves on every inch of the wall. There was no shelf space available, and there were additional piles of books stacked from the floor up to her waist. There was a threadbare armchair next to a fireplace with a wooden mantle and a small sofa. Amelie smiled. This was her Heaven.

The grim man cleared his throat, and Amelie turned around to face him. "My name is Severus Snape. When we get to Hogwarts, you will address me as Professor Snape."

Amelie nodded. Severus looked her over, as if trying to judge her magical abilities by her outward appearance.

"My name is Amelie Hollern," she said.

Severus nodded. "You were Amelie Hollern. Now you must become Amelia Zollern."

Amelie nodded in understanding. "Where should I put my things?" She held up a small satchel. She had put an Undetectable Extension Charm on it and shrunk all of her possessions to fit inside.

"This way," Severus said. He led her up the stairs, which were hidden behind a book case, to a small bedroom. There were only three rooms upstairs. Besides the bed there was a dresser and a very tiny desk by the window. Amelie placed her satchel on the bed. "The bathroom is here," he said, pointing down the small hall to a door. "Unfortunately this is the only one upstairs. There is another on the ground floor, but it doesn't have a shower."

"That's fine. I always had to share a bathroom with my brother, anyways," she said. Severus only nodded before heading back down the stairs. Amelie followed.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she said.

Severus sighed. "One thing about being a Slytherin, we never say thank you. Or please. Or sorry. Unless we are at the mercy of someone far superior to us. Then we use our best manners, but never otherwise. Understand?" She nodded. "And we don't offer information about our personal lives. Like telling me you shared a bathroom with your brother. Unless I ask, I should never even find out that you have a brother, much less that you shared a bathroom. Got it?"

Amelie nodded. She understood what he meant. Be cold. Be unemotional.

"We should work on your accent, but it can wait. How much do you know about the war?"

"Only what I've read in the papers, but I doubt that is very reliable," she responded, thinking of the British newspaper, _The Daily Prophet_. It did not have a flawless reputation.

"Well after Dumbledore…um, passed," Severus said uncomfortably, knowing he had murdered him, "all Hell broke loose. The Dark Lord, which is what you will call Him now by the way, He decided He no longer had anything to fear. There have been constant attacks on muggles and muggleborns. People have been going into hiding. The muggles are clueless, and terribly frightened. What's more, the Dark Lord is planning to take control of the Ministry and Hogwarts."

Amelie just stood in shock, mouth slightly open. Severus turned and walked into the kitchen, knowing she would follow.

The kitchen was scattered with potions ingredients and cauldrons. There was a small table with four wooden chairs. She also noticed a few broken drawer handles, and wondered why he didn't just use a spell to fix them. She waved her wand, and the handles were fixed. She looked at Severus with a smile, but he only narrowed his eyes at her.

"Slytherins don't do favors for others, and they don't smile," he said seriously. If Amelie hadn't been so frightened of him she would have laughed at how ridiculous that statement was. She only nodded.

"Albus left a small amount of his money to be used for your task. When you enter Slytherin, you will be faced with many gifted, snobbish, and wealthy purebloods. If your clothes are-" he studied her attire, "second-hand, then you will be shunned. Especially by Draco. He is the wealthiest person in the school, and he values money and power like his father. If you don't look like you come from money, then he will never notice you and you will learn nothing from him. Of course, you may learn nothing from him anyway. He is extremely closed off and proud. He does not like to ask for help, or even accept it when it is offered."

Amelie nodded yet again, trying to wrap her head around this boy's character. He was really her main target.

"He is very tall and lean, but he is strong. Years of quidditch playing have made him so. He is the Slytherin team's seeker, and he is very good. Though Potter almost always seemed to outdo him, and that is a sore point for him. He hates Potter, but I believe he is absolutely terrified of and disillusioned with the Dark Lord now. But he would never think to leave the Dark Lord's service. He knows nothing else."

"But my task is only to get information out of him, not try to change his allegiance?" she asked.

"Correct. But to get the information, you will need to befriend him."

"You seem to know a lot about him, so you must be close. Why can you not just get the information from him?" Amelie asked carefully.

Severus sighed. "He no longer trusts me, for I not only usurped his father's place, but I also succeeded where he failed. Besides, you are spying on all Slytherins, not only him."

"And if you are pretending to be a Death Eater, then how come I have to press children for information. Why can't you get it?"

"Because the Dark Lord plans to keep me at Hogwarts. I will not regularly be called to meetings," he said in a very exasperated tone. She could tell he did not like having to explain everything to her.

"Alright, that makes sense then," Amelie conceded.

"If you are going to bear all of this knowledge, your Occlumency must be first rate," he said.

"It's alright, but perhaps it could stand a little improvement," she replied.

"Very well, first thing after lunch."

And he went about making himself and her a sandwich. They ate lunch and then almost immediately began to work on her Occlumency. Severus drilled her all morning until she was so tired that he finally granted her a break.

Amelie woke up on her bed in Severus' house. He really was a great Occlumens, and he had worked her for hours. She had been exhausted, but she did feel as if she had improved a little. Amelie got off the bed and walked down the narrow staircase. She opened the wall that was covered in bookshelves and hid the secret passage, and walked into the living room. Severus was seated in the armchair reading _The Daily Prophet_.

"Have a nice nap?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. She almost added 'thank you' but stopped herself. Severus noticed and inclined his head to her as a sign of a good job. "Anything interesting in the paper?"

"Another muggle family was killed. Hardly a surprise. I think this one was the work of Bellatrix. She likes to smash the places up a bit," he drawled.

"Severus, what kind of information am I trying to get out of these kids? Anything in particular?"

"Well, anything really. Probably the most important will be dates and places of attacks so that they can be stopped," he replied.

"But if the Order of the Pheonix believes you are truly a Death Eater, how do you stop the attacks?" she asked curiously.

Severus' lip curled in what was almost a smile. "There is a particular Order member who is, shall we say, susceptible. But that is only temporary. You will befriend another member before long. But all in good time," he said mysteriously.

Amelie accepted his vague explanation without further inquiry. He liked that.

"You won't be sorted when you get to Hogwarts. If anyone asks, I let you get sorted before the ceremony so you didn't have to do it with the first years and the hat placed you in Slytherin. You will ride the Hogwarts Express like everyone else. I won't be able to drop you off. I trust when the time comes you can get there yourself?" he asked.

"If you get me a ticket, I can get on the train," she said.

"Then I shall get you a ticket when the time comes. You will go to King's Cross Station and go to Platform 9 ¾. Understand?"

"Yes. Let me guess, I go through a barrier to get to the platform? I think my mother told me that when I was little. We were talking about Hogwarts."

"Amelie," Severus growled in warning.

"I know! I know! No personal stories." She held up her hands in mock surrender.

"We really have to fix that dreadful accent of yours. Repeat after me. Hell-o."

"Hell-o," she repeated.

"Good. Hooow aare youuu?"

"Hoow aare youuu?" she said.

"Excellent," Severus said. "Now do that fifty more times."

Amelie spent the rest of the night in front of the fire, repeating what Severus told her. He read lines from the paper and she repeated each of them fifty times. It was very late when Severus finally retired for the night. He expected her to go to bed as well, but Amelie stayed downstairs for several more hours, reading the paper by firelight in a British accent.


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks passed until Severus declared her accent and Occlumency up to par. Amelie had been worked incessantly, but she did not mind because she knew that she was becoming more powerful. Severus was an extraordinary wizard, and she could learn a lot from him that she had not learned at school.

Hogwarts started in two weeks. Severus would have to leave a week early to prepare since he had been named Headmaster. Amelie would go with him as his niece and ward so that she could become familiar with the castle. Severus had promised to show her all the secret passageways that he knew of.

Amelie and Severus spent the week going over the people whom Amelie must remember. Besides the professors, she also had to be told about most of the students. Their house, their loyalty, and their blood status were all important to memorize. If she made friends with a Gryffindor muggleborn, she would be targeted by her targets: the Slytherins.

When it was time to leave for Hogwarts, Amelie once again shrunk all her possessions into her tiny satchel. They went to Diagon Alley first to buy all of her school supplies even before the letters came out. They spent the morning shopping before flooing into the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. They both looked around the room for a moment before looking up behind the huge desk at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. It smiled.

"Hello, Severus, Amelie. I am glad to see you. It has been a bit lonely up here with no one occupying this office, with the exception of my fellow former Headmasters of course." The other portraits gave a few murmured agreements.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore," Amelie said.

"My dear, what an excellent accent that is. Good work, Severus."

"Thank you, Albus. Excuse me, but I must put my things away. Amelie, why don't you stay up here until school starts? You can take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch," Severus suggested as he walked back further into the office. Amelie followed him and put her stuff down.

"I will take you on a tour of the castle. Come on," Severus said. He walked swiftly out of the office, cloak billowing, with Amelie following him.

They walked through the many complicated halls and he explained the trickiness of the moving staircases. He pointed out each of the classrooms, and he showed her inside the ones where she would attend class. He took her through each of the secret passageways and showed her how the Room of Requirement worked. Amelie knew she would have to practice getting around if she didn't want to get lost. These passages were especially important if she did not want to get caught.

"Remember not to do too well in your classes. You've already graduated with top marks from all of the classes you are taking this year. You should be careful not to do too well or too bad. Just remind yourself that these grades do not count. They are not necessary for getting a job, so do not take them too seriously," Severus instructed as they returned to his office.

For that week, Amelie explored the castle in order to memorize all the halls and passages. She knew her way around it as well as Severus by the end of the week. She would walk the halls in the morning and then return to the Headmaster's office in the afternoon for further training. The end of the week approached quickly, and Amelie was already returning to Severus' office on Saturday afternoon before she knew it.

Amelie entered the headmaster's office and found Severus with his eyes glued to the work on his desk.

"So what are we doing today, Severus?" Amelie asked impatiently. He answered her by handing her a book. "_One Hundred and One Ways to Change Your Appearance_?"

"It's a book of glamour charms. Very difficult magic. I want you to go stand in front of the mirror and practice." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand, not even looking up from his papers.

Amelie walked over to the mirror. She worked on the spells for forty-five minutes before she noticed a small amount of her hair turned red. She spent another fifteen to get all of her hair to turn to red.

"Severus, look!" she shrieked delightedly. He finally looked up from his desk.

"You look hideous. Good job," he said.

Another thirty minutes passed. Severus stalked off to his room to take a shower, and Amelie stayed where she was, still practicing the glamour charms. She tried blonde hair and tan skin. Deciding she looked scary, she changed her face shape a little. Then she tried to make herself look a little older.

A banging from the front of the office alerted Amelie that someone had just thrown open the door. She shrank further back into the office. She heard Severus shut off the water in the bathroom.

"Snape!" a man shouted. Severus came out of the bathroom, nearly running to make sure Amelie had not been found. His robes were not buttoned and he wasn't completely dry. Amelie couldn't help but notice he was extremely fit for his age, but she tried not to think about that.

"Ah, Lucius, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?" she heard him say. Amelie realized he was speaking to Draco Malfoy's father.

"What on earth were you doing? You were practically running," Lucius Malfoy asked suspiciously.

"I wanted to see who it was. If it was the Dark Lord, he would not want to be kept waiting," Severus replied evenly.

"You know as well as I that the Dark Lord is out of the country. What were you really doing?"

Amelie could hear Lucius walking towards the back of the office. Soon she would be in his view. She started to panic, trying to think quickly. She turned, biting her nails, and was met with her reflection in the mirror. Only it wasn't her reflection. She had completely forgotten that she had been doing glamour charms. She quickly whispered another, making her look even slightly older than she had already. She wanted to appear about Severus' age, maybe a little younger.

"What are you doing, Lucius? You have no right to just barge into my office. Particularly my private quarters." Severus' voice was getting more frustrated, a sign that Lucius was getting even closer.

Amelie took a deep breath and hoped for courage. She pulled off her jacket, her top, and her shoes. Then she slid off her socks and jeans so that she was only in her black underwear. Taking another breath, she sauntered out into the open.

Lucius noticed a beautiful blonde woman step around the corner in almost nothing. He stopped abruptly and stared. Severus followed his gaze and looked behind him. He saw Amelie, though her face didn't look like her, in her undergarments. She had a beautiful body. He was so ashamed of what he was seeing that he turned around and willed himself not to look at the young girl. He looked back at Lucius and was disgusted to see the old man looking at her, though he didn't realize how old she was.

"Oh I'm sorry, Severus. Was I interrupting? I just wanted to know when you were coming back to bed," she said with fake innocence. Lucius shook his head and looked back at Severus. Amelie realized that the water from the shower looked like sweat from exertion. She had the urge to laugh, but suppressed it.

"Well, Severus, I only came to tell you that I am outraged that Draco did not make Head Boy," Lucius said with a sneer. With one last glance back to Amelie, he left the office.

Severus refused to lift his head until Amelie said that he could look again. When he did she had put her jeans and top back on, and was slipping on her socks. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close," she remarked.

"It was. Quick thinking on your part, no matter how inappropriate it was," he replied.

"Well now you have somewhat of a reputation as well. Lucius definitely believed that," she laughed at the memory of it.

"It was extremely wrong, though. You are far too young for him."

"He didn't know that, though," she said as she undid the charms and slowly morphed back into herself.

"But I did. You put me in a very awkward position," Severus said. He was getting frustrated.

"Better than him discovering me looking like myself and having to explain that," she snapped back.

Severus merely shrugged and walked away. They did not speak of it again.


	4. Chapter 4

Students would be arriving the next day to start school. Amelie would no longer have the Slytherin dormitories to herself. She was now making her way from the dungeons to the Headmaster's office. Severus had called her into his office this morning for some unknown reason.

Amelie entered the large office and waited for Severus to look up. When he did, she moved to take a seat in front of his desk. He put aside whatever he had been working on and sent a locking spell and silencing charm towards the door.

"You need to get a job," he said. Amelie blinked in surprise. That was abrupt. Severus continued, "Albus left some money for your mission, but it could get very tight very quickly. You also need to establish contact with someone else in the Order. This way someone could identify you as one of our own in case something should happen to me."

"Alright," Amelie nodded. She did not want to imagine something bad happening to Severus, but she had to realize that that was a very likely reality. "Where am I working?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore and I," Amelie glanced up at the portrait of the last headmaster, "believe that you should go work for his brother, Aberforth Dumbledore, at the Hog's Head."

"Okay, what is the Hog''s Head?" she asked.

"A pub."

"Oh, lovely. I always wanted to be a barmaid."

"You will be working in the business of an esteemed Order member, while also working in a place of questionable reputation. The Hog's Head is a rather shady place," Severus explained. Amelie could only nod while she processed it all.

"The sooner you can procure employment, the better, but you must remember that your relationship with me as an Order member can never be mentioned," he reminded her.

"Of course."

"I will allow you to use my fireplace to floo to the Hog's Head, but no one can find out."

Amelie nodded in understanding.

Amelie flooed straight to The Hog's Head. She stepped out of the fireplace and looked down at the soot that now covered her. She knew the Headmaster's fireplace wasn't that dirty, so she deduced it must have been the pub's fireplace. She pulled out her wand and cleaned herself up. Then she stashed her wand back in her robe and took in her surroundings.

The Hog's Head was likely the filthiest place she had ever seen. It was one small room with as many tables as could fit packed in. The tables were all very rough, wooden tables with similar chairs. There were only candle stubs on the table. The wax from the candles had melted onto the table, and it looked as though the candles had not been lit in some time. There was a bar in the back with about ten stools in front of it. Behind the bar was a small sink and shelves lined with glasses and plates. Despite the plates, Amelie didn't see an ounce of food in the place. There were bay windows that were completely covered in dirt so that you couldn't even see out of them. Amelie looked down and realized what she thought was a dirt floor was really a concrete floor with a half inch of dirt covering it. The walls and ceiling were covered in dust and cobwebs. She didn't even want to see the rooms upstairs.

"What can I get ye?" asked a gruff, white-bearded man.

"Are you Aberforth Dumbledore?" she asked in a whisper so as not to be heard. The place was deserted, but she wanted to be safe.

"Depends," he answered.

"Well if you are I would like to talk to you about your brother somewhere safe," she said.

"Upstairs," he said and led the way up the old, dirty wooden steps. He opened the first door on the right and led her through. This room looked like it was lived in, and she assumed it must be his. "Now what do ye want?"

"Your brother, Professor Dumbledore, asked me to come to Hogwarts this year. He knew he didn't have much time left, and he asked if I would be willing to keep an eye on the school."

"Are ye teachin? 'Cuz I thought those damned Death Eaters were," he asked.

"No, I am not teaching. I am posing as a student. I graduated from Beauxbatons last year. I have been placed in Slytherin so as to spy on the children of Death Eaters and to keep an eye on the Carrows," she replied.

"So, ye're a spy? For the Order?"

"I am technically in the Order, but only one other person knows that. It has to remain a secret or my cover may be compromised."

"Prove yer in the Order," he commanded gruffly, fingers wrapping tightly around his wand.

"The headquarters was formerly at number twelve Grimmauld Place, but it has since moved to the Burrow. Of course, I have never been to the Burrow. I am only to go to headquarters if it is an emergency. I know the Weasleys are being watched," she replied smoothly. She would have to thank the portraits in the Headmaster's office for telling her the Order had moved to the Burrow.

"Why were you recruited by mi' brother?"

"My family used to live in Godric's Hollow, near your family. He remembered my great-grandmother. She was good friends with Bathilda Bagshot. She called her Batty."

"Very well. So what do ye want wi' me?"

"I really don't have much money, and I am going to need some for some necessities while I am in Slytherin House. I was wondering if you might hire me?"

"Eh, why not? I've got nothin' better ter do. And if it's for the Order, reckon I don' have much choice in the matter," he grumbled.

Amelie smiled at her accomplishment, but when she looked around the pub again her smile vanished. She had a lot of work to do.

"When would you like me to start?"

"When can ye start?"

"Well I do have classes, but the Headmaster is allowing me to work on weekends if I keep my grades up," she explained.

"Oh, Snape's letting you work on weekends, eh? Well of course he is. He thinks yer a Slytherin. Well keeping yer grades up can' be too hard, eh? You've already graduated."

"Yes, exactly."

"Ye can work Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesday nights. How's that?" Aberforth offered.

"Perfect. Thank you very much, Mr. Dumbledore. I will see you Saturday." Amelie smiled and flooed back to Hogwarts. As she had assumed, Snape was waiting for her very impatiently.

"Well?"

"I have a job, and a contact," she replied with a Slytherin smirk. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Have I told you about the Room of Requirement yet?" he asked. She shook her head. He sighed and motioned for her to take a seat in front of his desk. He went to take his seat in the oversized Headmaster's chair.

"The Room of Requirement," he began, "was Draco's favorite room last year. Indeed it is a favorite of anyone fortunate enough to know how to enter it. The Room of Requirement will take the shape of and provide anything you require. It is this room through which Draco let in the Death eaters at the end of last term." Here he paused to gauge her reaction. She nodded for him to continue.

"This room can also help you if you are in need of it. Even if you do not, you should be aware of it. I have not seen Draco much since he failed…well, since he failed. I do not know how he has handled the situation. He may choose to retreat back to that room, in which case you will need to be aware of this room. But while he is in there, you will not be able to enter if he has asked to be alone. It is how the room works."

"I understand."

"To enter the room, you must pace back and forth three times with eyes closed and thinking very hard about what you want. Seventh floor corridor. That is all," he finished.

"Goodnight, Headmaster," Amelie said as she rose from her seat and left his office.


	5. Chapter 5

The students filed into the Great Hall. Amelie slipped into the crowd virtually unnoticed and then took a place at the end of the Slytherin table. She wanted to scan the Great Hall, but she did not want to chance catching someone's curious gaze. She hoped staring expectantly at the front would redirect any unwanted glances. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to be staring at her.

Amelie then heard the doors behind her open. She turned around and watched as all the first years followed in to be sorted. Amelie felt like slapping herself for being so stupid. Everyone was staring at the door in the back, not at her.

Amelie watched the first years be sorted, one by one, only clapping when one was chosen to be in Slytherin. Everyone else in the Great Hall was cheering loudly, but the first years all looked completely terrified. Amelie was glad she did not have to go through this show.

She noticed that there were those at her table who also did not cheer loudly as she did not. She looked up the table. There were several people sitting between her and this small group, but she recognized the less-than-enthusiastic Slytherins. One girl with dark hair, and another had strawberry blonde, and another with light blonde. One boy had dark skin, hair, and eyes, and one was as pale as the other was dark. He had platinum hair and silver eyes. A third boy had light brown hair and green eyes. Then there were two very heavy, and very ugly, boys. Amelie knew all of them. These people were the inner-crowd of Slytherin house. And the pale one was Draco Malfoy.

She recognized the others. There was Pansy Parkinson with the dark hair. Her family was very sympathetic to the Dark Lord's cause, but they were not Death Eaters. The girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes is Daphne Greengrass, the oldest of two girls in her family. Her parents were also not Death Eaters, but there was some suspicion that they may be contributing to the Dark Lord's cause financially. She also had a seldom-seen uncle who was under a lot of suspicion from the Order. Then there was the blonde girl, who Amelie was fairly positive was Tracey Davis. She was the only half-blood in the group. Her family was thus far unconnected with either side, though it was pretty easy to guess where their sympathies lay if their daughter spent all her time with these Slytherins.

Then there were the boys. Blaise Zabini, Malfoy's new favorite, was the exact opposite of Malfoy in looks, but only opposite in that. Blaise Zabini's mother was well known as a gold-digging murderess, and he was well-known as supporting the Dark Lord. The two heavy-set boys, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, were stupid, and their fathers were Death Eaters. Severus had told her that they were also, while very stupid, overly eager to impress the Dark Lord. Their eagerness and stupidity combined made them dangerous. Perhaps the boy most like Malfoy, the boy with light brown hair, was Theodore Nott. He was from a wealthy, pureblood family, and his father was a powerful Death Eater.

And finally, there was Draco Malfoy. He was the only known student Death Eater, and so he was to be her main focus. Amelie studied him from the corner of her eye. She had been told that he had been heavily influenced. His father had failed the Dark Lord, and so he was being punished. His life and the lives of his parents were in peril. Nevertheless, he still believed whole-heartedly in the campaign to purify the wizarding world.

She would have pegged Malfoy as the most attractive among the boys, but she couldn't help but notice how she would prefer Nott to have been her focus. He seemed just as pompous as Malfoy, but perhaps a little calmer. Malfoy seemed to shake, with either excitement or anxiety Amelie could not tell. They both, however, did smirk when a first year became even more terrified by being sorted into Gryffindor. Amelie had to admit that she was glad she was not in that house. Gryffindor was not a good place to be right now.

After the first years were sorted, Severus stood to speak. "For those of you who are foolish enough to attempt it, entering the Forbidden Forest will likely get you killed. Therefore, it is off limits to all students. Professor Amycus Carrow will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Professor Alecto Carrow will be teaching Muggle Studies this year. They will also be handling detention. For those of you who have ridiculous questions, I suggest you do not take them to me. That is all."

Amelie ate silently by herself, using her above average hearing to eavesdrop. Many students at the Slytherin table were giving her looks, wondering who the loner was and if they had ever seen her before. She paid it no mind. She only looked up every once in a while, and she never looked anyone in the eye. Just in case, she was using her Occlumency, but she was also doing a bit of Legilimency.

Amelie could tell that Draco Malfoy was using Occlumency to shield his mind. So were Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini, but she could tell that their shields were not as strong. She could easily penetrate their minds, but she did not wish to get caught this early in her mission. She hadn't even started.

None of the girls appeared to have any experience with Occlumency. Amelie, not wanting to fully penetrate their mind, only got a taste of their emotions. Parkinson was upset, Amelie could tell, and judging by the looks she gave Draco it was because of him. Amelie knew they had dated, but perhaps they had broken up or had an argument? Parkinson could definitely be useful to Amelie.

Amelie then focused on Greengrass. She was excited, though perhaps a tad apprehensible. That made sense. She was unsure of the future, but there was no doubt her family was thrilled with the fall of the Ministry. Finally, Amelie turned her attention to Davis. She was fearful. Amelie could tell this girl was a weak link. She could easily manipulate her. The girl was completely terrified for some reason.

Amelie was debating whether she should go ahead and penetrate Tracey Davis' mind when Draco Malfoy snapped his head up and began scanning the Great Hall. Amelie slowly ducked out of Tracey's emotions and focused on her shield. This proved to be a mistake.

Malfoy was looking directly at her. She was pretending not to notice, but she could tell he knew she was shielding her mind. He was no doubt wondering who she was and why she knew Occlumency.

Amelie continued to eat without looking at anyone. She could tell Malfoy was still shooting her looks through her peripheral vision. Her mind began to race. She needed a plan in case he approached her. There was no way she could ruin her mission on the first day.

Severus declared the feast over as soon as he got bored, and students began to head to their dormitories. Amelie knew the password to the Slytherin dorms already, thanks to Severus. She sped down to the dungeons, aware that Malfoy's group was not far behind. Fortunately, the dungeons provided plenty of dark corners to hide behind. She headed for one such dark alcove, ducking into it before anyone passed her. She disillusioned herself, waiting for Malfoy to pass.

Malfoy was at the head of his group, storming down to the entrance of the Slytherin dormitories. Once he was gone, Amelie slipped back into the back of the crowd of Slytherin House. They stopped at the portrait entrance. Malfoy said the password, _Dark Lord_, and everyone filed in. Amelie stepped into the common room, took a few steps, and was suddenly blocked by a rather tall body. She looked up into the cold, grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.

Amelie cursed herself silently. She was definitely not ready for a confrontation.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" he asked with a sneer.

Amelie mentally prepared herself to use her British accent. "Amelia Zollern," she said clearly. He did not bother giving her his name, she noticed. He assumed she already knew it, and she did.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes before stalking off. Amelie thought he looked ridiculous acting so dramatically, but the younger students all looked petrified. Amelie realized that she had to remember Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater. He could be extremely dangerous to her.


	6. Chapter 6

Amelie entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. Slytherins and Gryffindors had this period together. It was set up for disaster.

Amycus Carrow, Death Eater and new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, was a tall, thin, cruel-looking man with no hair and bad teeth.

"The Dark Arts are a complex magic, not for the weak of mind," he started.

"Then you must be rubbish with them," Longbottom spoke out. The class got deathly silent. No one moved. Hardly anyone even dared breathe.

"_Crucio!" _Amycus said as he pointed his wand at the foolishly brave boy. Longbottom writhed and shrieked in pain, falling out of his chair. The Gryffindors all stared in horror, unable to do anything. Even many Slytherins were too scared to find the display of one of the Unforgiveables amusing. There were a few who did, however. Amelie was not surprised when Malfoy and Nott were outright laughing.

Finally the horrid cries of Longbottom ceased. Amycus looked around for anyone else who might challenge him.

"You sick bastard!" Seamus Finnigan unwisely piped up.

Vincent Crabbe punched him square in the jaw. Amelie could hear the sickening crack from across the room. "Shut up, Shamrock."

As if that wasn't punishment enough, Professor Carrow had his wand pointed at Seamus and muttered the torture curse.

Seamus let out a cry as he, too, fell out of his chair and landed on the floor with a thud. He could not hold back his screams, but with his broken jaw each cry only brought him even more pain. It was not long before the noise stopped and he was only lying there, convulsing slightly.

Class proceeded as nothing had happened, though Seamus never got off the floor. Neville made his way back to his seat, and he helped another Gryffindor carry Seamus out at the end of the period.

After class, Amelie was walking to the library to do some extra studying on subjects she knew Severus would be covering later that evening in their private training session. She ran into a burly boy on her way there.

"Watch where you're going, future Death Eater scum!" he shouted in a thick Irish accent.

Playing the part, Amelie responded calmly with a smirk, "Next time you can't get off the floor, Shamrock Finnigan, someone might just end you there. I'd watch your back, you filthy half-blood."

"Don't threaten him, you bitch!" a red-head shouted at Amelie in Seamus' defense.

"Creative, Weaselette. Perhaps I should report you to one of the Professors Carrow for your name-calling."

"That will not be necessary, Miss Zollern," a chilling voice said from behind Amelie. She turned and saw Alecto Carrow behind her. She didn't have Alecto's class, Muggle Studies, and wondered how this Death Eater knew her name. But she was more preoccupied with wondering what would be done to Ginny, though she did feel calling her a bitch was excessive and didn't mind her getting caught for it. Amelie hadn't done anything to her and Shamrock had started it all. But Amelie knew with the Carrows that the punishment often did not fit the crime.

"I will be sure to take care of Miss Weasley. She will be properly disciplined for her insult. Come with me, Miss Weasley," Alecto instructed with a gleeful and vengeful air about her.

Ginny followed the Death Eater, shaking slightly with fear.

Amelie had finished in the library over an hour ago and was now heading to the Headmaster. She was stopped in the hall once again. This time, Alecto Carrow stopped her. Her heart skipped a few beats.

"I just wanted to assure you that Miss Weasley's comment earlier did not go unpunished," she said.

Amelie drew herself up in a prideful stature. "I am glad. Thank you for your assistance, Professor. It's is about time we had professors like you and your brother here, finally disciplining this school," she said. "Might I ask what her punishment was?"

"We had her under the Cruciatus Curse for a good while," the woman responded with a smirk. She didn't have the ability to smile.

"I hope it was sufficient. She is strong-willed. I think it's the ghastly red hair."

"We did not stop even when she gave up her dinner, don't worry." The woman stalked off without another word.

Amelie was disgusted. They had tortured a sixteen year old girl even after she vomited. This school had really gone to Hell.

Amelie continued on to the Headmaster's office. She said the password and entered. Severus was waiting for her. Amelie had not taken three steps past the door when he hit her with a jinx. She flew back out of the office, landing on her butt. She looked up at him with annoyance.

"Always be ready for an attack. You never know when they will come or from which direction," he said.

"Can I at least take my cloak off first?" she asked, still pissed.

"You have three minutes," he replied.

Amelie pulled off her cloak as well as her button up and tie. She had a black tank top underneath, easier to train in. She turned to face Severus at the ready.

As per ususal, she only barely saw his hex coming. He always used nonverbal so there was surprise behind his attack. He moved quick and slight, making it difficult to figure out which way he was really moving. Amelie had never dueled with such a powerful wizard before, but her training was helping her to prepare. Severus Snape was, after all, one of the most valuable people in the wizarding world.

Amelie ducked his first hex and sent one of her own his way. Severus was moving too quickly for it to even be necessary he dodge it. Amelie blocked two curses from him before she could send another his way.

"You are too slow," he shouted at her. Amelie focused on throwing out as many spells at him as she could while simultaneously blocking and dodging his attempts to curse her.

"Better," was all he said.

Amelie ducked what she could tell was a particularly nasty hex by the way it blew up a chair behind her. For a moment she pitied the house elves who would have to clean this.

She jumped up, a powerful curse on the tip of her tongue, but she was hit by a powerful force that knocked the breath out of her and carried her off her feet.

Amelie flew back at high speed into a glass-paneled bookcase. She felt her back crash into it, and then keep going into the books, glass tearing at her skin. Shards were flying everywhere. She shut her eyes tight to prevent any from penetrating her eyeballs. She could feel the tiny pieces nicking at her arms.

The next thing she knew, she hit the floor, elbows first. Her hands landed on and were cut by glass. Her knees were aching from hitting the floor so hard. She did not get up immediately. She was not used to so much pain. She slowly got up, barely moving so as to not let any glass dig further into her skin. She turned and froze.

Draco Malfoy was standing a few feet from her in the doorway of the headmaster's office. They had not heard him coming as their duel had been quite loud and required much focus. He was staring at her with complete shock. When their eyes met, he turned to look at Severus, expecting an explanation.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy?" Severus asked him, completely calm.

Realizing he would get no explanation for the unordinary scene before him, he decided not to ask. "I was sent by Professor Alecto Carrow to tell you they are having problems with one of the Gryffindors in detention. Longbottom, I believe. She wanted to know if you would like to try your hand at punishing him."

"Well if Alecto really cannot handle one overweight student, I suppose I must intervene. Bring him to me," Severus instructed.

Draco looked meaningfully at Amelie, as if to say 'You can't punish him in front of her.' Severus just stared expectantly at him, and Malfoy left the room to fetch Longbottom. He returned very quickly with bruised and bloody student who had a face with defiance written all over it.

"That will be all Mr. Malfoy. Please tell Professor Carrow it has been taken care of."

Malfoy nodded and with one last, confused look at Amelie, he left the room. Severus walked up to Longbottom and kneeled in front of him. Amelie could not tell exactly what he was doing until he started talking.

"You were never in the headmaster's office, and you never saw me today. You left detention knowing that you are in very great danger and must either submit to the Carrows or you must hide. Now leave." And Longbottom got up and left, a glazed look in his eye.

"Did you just use the Imperius Curse on him?" she asked. If he had, she was not sure how she felt about her mentor.

"No, I manipulated his mind through Legilimency. It is something only a master of the mind can do," he replied. Amelie was amazed by his abilities yet again. She was beginning to see her mentor as a father figure. She admired his ability to never lose control and she envied his powers.

"Now if you are quite done pulling glass out of your arm, shall we continue with our training?"

Amelie rolled her eyes. Powerful or not, the guy needed to learn what a break was.


	7. Chapter 7

Amelie opened the door to The Hog's Head. It was her first day of work. What a way to spend a Saturday. Aberforth decided to give her a quick tour.

"This is the bar. These glasses are fer wine and mead. These shot glasses are fer firewhiskey. These glass mugs are for butterbeer and ale. These ceramic mugs are for tea and coffee-"

"You serve tea and coffee?" she asked, mildly surprised.

"I serve everythin.' These flutes are fer champagne. Yes, I serve champagne, just not very often. These glasses are fer gillywater. Plates fer food, bowls fer soup. The sink is there. Ye will wash the glasses and plates, take orders, and serve the food and drinks. I will cook the food and help wash the glasses and plates whenever ye need help. The kitchen is through that door."

Amelie looked behind her to see a door next to the bar. Aberforth opened it, and Amelie saw a kitchen in surprisingly fairly good shape. Then Aberforth led her upstairs and showed her the rooms. They all had a full-sized bed in the middle with a nightstand on one side and a small desk and chair to the other side. They each had a fireplace for private floo calls. Aberforth told her that she could have one of the rooms for whenever she might need it. He never had anyone stay the night anyway.

Amelie went downstairs to start working. There were no customers yet, so she decided to start cleaning the place up. She started by grabbing a small bucket and filling it with water and adding a little soap. She grabbed a rag and went to start washing the countertop of the bar. When she finished that, she washed the stools. She grabbed a broom and began sweeping. Six hours later, and the floor only had a small coat of dried dirt and mud on it instead of the thick layer of filth. She was about to go hunt down a mop when someone entered the pub. She recognized him from Severus telling her about the Order members, so she might recognize them in an emergency. The man's name was Mundungus Fletcher, and he was a thief and conman.

Fletcher took a seat at the bar. Amelie went behind the counter. "What can I get for you?" she asked.

The man looked at her with eyes narrowed out of suspicion. "Where is Aberforth?" he asked.

"Upstairs. What can I get you?" she answered.

"He isn't dead upstairs, is he?" he asked.

"No, he's sleeping."

"Can never be too sure in these times," he said casually. "I'll take a shot of firewhiskey."

"Odgen's or Blishen's?"

"Odgen's." Amelie grabbed a shot glass and poured some of Odgen's Old Firewhiskey in it and handed it to him. She grabbed the bucket of water and a new rag and went to work on the tables while the man had his drink. She plied the candle stubs off the table and started washing the rough wood. She heard a low whistle and looked behind her. Fletcher was staring at her ass. She rolled her eyes.

"Take a picture, it will last longer," she said.

"I'm sorely tempted," he replied.

"How tempted would you be if I shoved that camera up your ass? Because I know just the spell that will do the trick," she said. She put on her best Slytherin smirk and watched the man consider her carefully, wondering if he should believe her or not. He must have decided it wasn't worth the risk because he turned around and faced his drink again.

Fletcher left in a hurry when two more men entered the pub. Amelie recognized the were-wolf Fenrir Greyback and his snatcher friend Scabior. Amelie cautiously moved behind the bar and felt for her wand. The two men took a seat at a recently cleaned table. She slowly walked up to them.

"What can I get you?" she asked, hiding her uneasiness.

"How about a serving of yourself? I bet you would taste delicious," Geyback said.

"Actually, believe it or not, I don't taste so good. Rather sour, really," she replied sarcastically. Scabior laughed.

"She's funny, tha' one es!"

"Wonder how funny you would be as a wolf, little girl?" Greyback asked.

"Probably more so with all the dog-related jokes I could invent. Now, what would you two _fellow_ Slytherins like to drink?" she asked. They studied her a moment, deciding that she masked her emotions too well not to be a Slytherin, and the sarcasm was a House giveaway.

"One Quintin Black," Scabior ordered.

"One Simison Steaming Stout," Greyback said, with a nod of acknowledged respect at her.

Amelie got their drinks for them, and decided to hang out by the bar where she could watch them. She washed a few dusty plates and glasses before they finished their drinks and left. The whole time they didn't say anything, only watched her.

Aberforth finally made an appearance. He took in her cleaning with one long gaze. She watched for his reaction, but it never came. Instead, he just looked at her and asked:

"When do ye reckon ye should leave?"

"Well, I've been here all day…" she replied quietly.

"Then go home," was all he said before disappearing to the kitchen again.

Amelie took another look around the bar. It was still disgusting, but she had made significant improvements. She grabbed her wand and flooed back to Hogwarts.

Severus was sitting at his desk when she returned through his fireplace. He did not bother to look up, but the portrait of Albus did look down at her.

"Amelie, or should I say Amelia, how was your first day? I hope my brother is not too hard of a boss," he asked with the twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Not at all, and it was a good first day, I think," she said with a small smile at the portrait.

"Do you know what Draco did while you were gone all day, Amelie?" Severus asked her without looking up still.

"No, sir."

"Neither do I. Find out."

"Yes, sir," she replied and left without another word.

Amelie headed first to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She figured that befriending the ghost would allow her to use the deserted lavatory at any time without fear of being interrupted. She could use the restroom to wash up after work.

Amelie entered quietly and cautiously. Myrtle had her back to her and was staring out the window. Amelie cleared her throat to get the ghost's attention. Myrtle's head whipped around with a fierce scowl plastered on it.

"Have you come to see miserable, moaping Moaning Myrtle? Did your friends dare you, like all the others?" she asked with menace in her voice.

"No, I don't have any friends," Amelie said. What she really meant was that she didn't have friends _here_, but something told her that it would be better not to say that.

"Well, neither do I," the ghost snapped. "Who would want to be friends with a ghost? You can't play with Myrtle. Everything goes right through her. You can't talk to Myrtle. She will only fly off."

"But that isn't true. We are talking right now. And you can play, just perhaps not quidditch."

Myrtle narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Amelie began to realize this would be a bit harder than she originally thought.

"Do you want to know a secret," Amelie asked her. She nodded eagerly, never having had a secret shared with her before. "I have a job. My family is very poor, so I have to work. I have special permission from the Headmaster to work on weekends and Wednesday nights. No one in my house would understand. I'm a Slytherin. They would all look down on me."

Myrtle, so moved by becoming a confidante, flew down to meet Amelie face to face. Amelie smirked on the inside.

"Don't worry. Lots of people are poor," Myrtle said with a sympathetic look.

Amelie blinked. That was supposed to be comforting? "Thank you Myrtle," she said.

"You are welcome. And I will keep your secret, too."

"Do you mind if I wash up in here after work sometimes?" Amelie asked. Myrtle smiled gleefully at the prospect of having a companion.

Amelie returned to the Slytherin common room after washing up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She found Pansy Parkinson glued to Draco Malfoy on one of the sofas. She scanned the room, finding a group of third years in a corner, all staring. She made her way over to them, stepping in front to obstruct their view. They all looked at her.

"How long have they been like that?" she asked.

"Since this morning," one boy said, but her Legilimency told her that he was withholding something.

"What are you not telling me? And before you say nothing, I am a proficient Legilimens."

"They've been like that since he found out his father was punished again," he said barely audible, terrified of what would happen if Draco heard. Amelie realized that the boy meant Lucius Malfoy had been punished by the Dark Lord.

"What was he punished for this time?"

"I don't know."

"And the last time?"

"Something to do with his wand, I think," the boy said.

Amelie nodded and walked away without a word. She did not dare thank the boy or even give him a small smile. That was a Slytherin move. She walked right up to Draco and Pansy. This was not a Slytherin move. Walking up to Draco Malfoy, a known Death Eater, while he was busy was not considered wise.

The two broke apart when Amelie's shadow was overtop of them. "Can I help you?" Draco asked with a threatening sneer.

"Yes, you can go get a room. Some of us would like to use the common room on occasion, but not if you continue to scare away all of our housemates," she replied with a sneer of her own, though perhaps not as menacing as his. Nevertheless, she stood her ground.

Draco carelessly dropped Pansy and stood up. He was so close that their bodies were barely touching. He was a whole head taller than her, and she had to strain her neck to look at him. She refused to move back, finding that she was surprisingly not scared at all of him. He just looked like a boy to her. Maybe an extremely attractive boy, but a boy nonetheless.

"There are plenty of abandoned classrooms in the dungeons, by the way," she said, voice calm and steady.

"I know," he said.

"So use them, or I'll lock you in one." Deciding she had made an impression, she turned to walk slowly up the stairs to her dormitory. She did not need to look back to know his eyes were following her.


End file.
